Sanguine Dreams
by Gemini14
Summary: Sequel to Hunters' Blood. When D, Dirk, and Belladonna all share the same eerie dream of a moonlit ball, what will happen they start looking for answers? Will they answer the riddle in time?
1. Prologue: Of Dreams

Sanguine Dreams

Prologue: Of Dreams

It had started with the odd vision of a moonlit path. All around him, he could hear the sounds of a forest at night, and of his horse's hooves on the old path beneath him. He sighed as the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers came to his nostrils; bringing a sense of peace that didn't often come in recent days. Then, as though it had been drifting on the wind, searching especially for him, a soft tune came to his sensitive ears.

"_I haven't heard that song in years! Wonder where it's coming from?_" he wondered, as he gently urged his horse into a canter, and followed the music to it's source. In short order, he arrived at what appeared to be a mansion that was cloaked in shadow, and bathed in the softest of moonlight. As he dismounted, he became aware of some ghostly servants moving around him; and one even politely took his horse to where it could graze and wait for his return. Within moments, he'd followed the tune into the ballroom of the mansion, where a fancy party was now in full swing.

"_Great. I hate events like this! It always seems to have people who are too full of themselves in attendance!_" he sourly mused, as he scanned the crowd for the host or hostess of the party. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he'd seen two people that he knew...but, before he could wonder what they were doing there, they had disappeared into the throng again.

"_Did I imagine it?_" he wondered, as he made his way towards a young woman, who appeared to be the one in charge of the gathering. She was dancing with a tall, dark-haired man that had his back to him as he approached, but she gave him a bittersweet smile when she noticed him. His confusion was only furthered when the crowd abruptly disappeared; leaving only him and the girl standing there.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice echoing strangely in the now empty ballroom. She turned a vaguely unhappy gaze onto him, and sighed.

"_Find me. Please. Find me._" the girl whispered, her gaze still downcast and her voice now very sad.

"Find you? Where can I find you?" he again asked, as some worry emerged for the sad-eyed girl.

"_Soon you will know the way_..._But please_..._Please come._" the girl begged, as she began to fade into a bluish mist that was quickly enveloping the mansion.

"Will I soon know your name, then?" he asked. The girl nodded.

"_You will know all, soon. But you must come! Hurry!_" the girl urged, before she disappeared completely.

"_Awaken!_"

vvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Dirk Lang bolted upright from sound sleep with a gasp, his body soaked in sweat. For a few, brief moments, he felt disoriented; had it only just been a dream? Or was it a premonition?

"I take it that you saw it too, Dirk?" a rusty voice asked, making the quarter-vampire look up at the speaker. There, already sitting astride his black cyborg horse, sat the nightmare of all Nobility himself, the Vampire Hunter known only as 'D'. His father.

"Yeah. But what was it about, though?" Dirk asked; with confusion appearing on his handsome face and darkening the color of his expressive grey eyes.

"We won't know till we find out. In any case, the next town is just up ahead. We'll be able to restock our supplies and get on the trail of our next bounty there." a young woman's voice stated, calmly, as the sun's first rays painted her coppery hair an almost crimson shade.

"You're right. Let's hurry and get on the trail before it gets too warm. I, for one, don't really want to experience another bout of Heat Syndrome like I had on the last hunt." Dirk muttered, as he quickly stood, stretched, and then briskly untied his mount's reins before getting astride and following his father's lead in the direction of the town in question.

"I'm afraid your body will have the last word on that, Dirk. It doesn't matter how much time passes, it is something you're never going to get used to." D murmured; hiding a smirk when his son gave him a deadpan look for that remark.

"Great. Give me something to look forward to, Dad. Sheesh." Dirk grumbled, as he irritably pulled the collar of his coat a little bit higher around his face, and his hat a bit lower over his eyes. This time, D did snicker a little bit, at his expense.

"What would you think if I sang outta tune, would you stand up and throw rancid tomatoes at meeee?" an off-key voice sang, getting a cringe out of the trio of Hunters for that.

"Yes Marv, we would." the woman (who happened to be Belladonna Collins, the so-called 'Terror of Collinsport'), and Dirk, muttered, exasperatedly.

"Where did you say the lake where you'd gotten that sword was again, Dirk? We might still be able to throw it back." D said, with only the faintest hint of irritation in his voice. Dirk only sighed.

"Doesn't matter. He'll just keep coming back, no matter how many times we throw 'im in." Dirk replied, yet, even then, his thoughts returned to the strange dream he, his father, and Belladonna had shared. What did it mean? And where would it lead them?

"_And, if we do follow up on it, will we come out of it alive in the end?_" Dirk wondered, as he gazed up at the crimson-hued sky above them, and felt a small hint of foreboding steal into his heart; was their future hunt going to be as bloody as the sky above them now looked?


	2. Chapter One: Of Paths

Chapter One: Of Paths

The trio of Hunters had arrived in the town only a few moments before the shops had opened for business. All around them, Dirk was aware of the gazes of the townsfolk. While some openly stared with open-mouthed disbelief (because of Belladonna's, his and his father's otherworldly good looks) others made their hatred only too well known. The air surrounding them was practically awash with violent intent.

"I don't think we're very welcome here, guys." Belladonna murmured, uneasily.

"And you thought it would be different here for what reason, Miss Collins?" D muttered, tiredly. Even after all the time that they had been traveling together, D still only very rarely called Belladonna by her first name; a fact that sometimes rode on the female Hunter's nerves.

"Don't be a smartass." Belladonna growled, irritably.

"'Donna, he does have a point. We can't very well expect to be welcomed with open arms everywhere we go...In fact, we'd better get used to being outcasts pretty quickly, since we're going to outlive just about everyone we meet, eventually, anyway." Dirk said, cringing when a strident cackle came from his right-hand side, and they all looked to see that an ancient-looking crone now sat alongside them in her wagon.

"The boyo's right, there. I take it you three are that infamous trio of Hunters I've heard so much about! A right pretty bunch, make no mistake!" the woman said, in a tone that made Dirk's skin crawl.

"What do you want?" D asked, coolly; effortlessly slipping into his cold guise in front of the woman.

"I need an escort. Y'see, I'm known as Granny Viper, and my business is finding 'the hidden'. I'm just about to set out for another job." the crone replied, giving them a grin that would have made a Jack-O-Lantern look like it had an overabundance of teeth.

"Do tell." Belladonna muttered; unimpressed by the offer, and wanting to go elsewhere...preferably far, far away from the disgusting old woman.

"How much can you pay us for the job?" D asked, a little suspicious as to where this was going. He could sense that there was more to the 'job' than what the old woman was willing or able to tell.

"Fifteen million to start, and another fifteen when we get the person back to the family. What do you say to that? Do we have a deal?" Granny Viper questioned, a little too eagerly for the trio's tastes.

"There's something chasing you, isn't there? Something that doesn't want you to find whoever it is you're looking for." Dirk stated; sensing he'd hit the reason for the old woman's nervousness right on the nose when he saw her stiffen.

"Your son's as sharp as the rumors say, Master Hunter! There is indeed something trying to hinder me, but, with you three traveling with me..." Granny Viper trailed off, hinting at the underlying danger that was threatening her.

"_I know where this is going_..._and I don't like it._" D mused, the nagging doubt from earlier returning with a vengeance.

"_Yeah, but what choice have ya got? In case ya haven't noticed, Dirk and Belladonna's supplies haven't been restocked yet, and this town is too on edge to let 'em get what they need._" Left said, pointing out the main reason for D's hesitation. It was then that D sighed, getting some questioning glances from Belladonna and Dirk while he was at it.

"Very well. Where are we going, and who is the vampire that had taken the 'hidden'?" D asked; ignoring the aghast looks he was getting from both of the younger Hunters while he was at it. Granny Viper only grinned even wider than before, and flicked the reins of the cyborg horses to get them moving again.

"All will be explained as soon as we hit the road. Follow me." Granny Viper replied; taking off down the path before the trio could question her further.

"_Something about this stinks_..._And I don't mean just rotten-smelling, either._" Belladonna mused, sourly, as they spurred their own mounts on in order to keep pace with the ancient crone and her covered wagon.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

A rider sighed as she waited beyond the town for her hired help to arrive. Waist-length, cornsilk blond hair drifted lazily in the wind from under her wide-brimmed hat; giving her an almost other-worldly feel as she gazed distractedly at the small grouping of buildings below her.

"Milady! Here they are!" a strident cackle came to her ear, and she turned to look at the newcomers.

"That was quite quick, Granny. I'd have never expected them to have been in this town, much less that they would even consider coming with you." she said, as she gave the trio behind the old woman as appraising glance from the shadows of her hat.

"It certainly wasn't our idea." the single female Hunter muttered, before the apparent leader of the group gave her an almost deadly glare.

"Watch it, 'Donna. We haven't had any bounties in a while...so we can't afford to pick and choose." the other male Hunter murmured, even though he sounded only partially convinced about the hunt to come, himself.

"Who are you? Why did you seek us out in such a manner?" the lead Hunter asked, voicing his confusion, even though his expression showed no hint of it.

"As you can probably already tell, Master Hunter, from the outset, this isn't going to be a normal hunt for any of you...But the first thing I must ask you is this: Have any of you had any strange dreams, in recent days?" she asked...and wasn't disappointed in the response she got from two of the Hunters. Their faces paled, and they exchanged nervous glances with one another as though to say 'Why the heck would she ask us that?.!' And yet, only the lead Hunter was unfazed.

"Maybe. Why do you ask?" the lead Hunter questioned; sounding a little more intrigued by this turn of events.

"Perhaps I should show you, instead of trying to explain anything." she said, as she removed her hat, and gazed boldly into their eyes. The younger man's eyes went wide when he saw her, and he had to struggle to remain seated in his saddle. The woman, on the other hand, was staring in frozen shock, while the leader merely sat there, calmly...albeit with an arched eyebrow to prove that he wasn't as un-perturbed as he appeared.

"You're the woman from that dream! The one that'd wanted us to find her! What're you doin' here?.!" Dirk shouted, too surprised to tone down his voice. They only got a sad smile from her that mirrored her expression from their dreams, exactly.

"I still need your help...desperately. You see, the one I had hired Granny Viper to find was taken from his hiding place before we could reach him...and the vampire who had kidnapped him may have already turned him, by now." the woman said, unhappily; her blue eyes darkening slightly at the grim prospect.

"So, you want us to kill both vampire and victim, if that is the case?" D asked, quietly.

"Yes. I don't want my dear brother to suffer any longer than he absolutely has to...It wouldn't be fair to him." the woman said, morosely.

"What is your name, then? We need to know the name of our employer." Dirk stated, his tone vaguely concerned for the sad woman before him.

"Mary-Weather Hargreaves, is my name. The one who had been taken was my elder brother, Cain." the woman replied, somberly.

"And the vampire's name?" D again asked.

"Suzette." the woman answered, averting her gaze when her eyes took on a pained sheen.

"I see...The bounty is fifteen million to start, correct?" D questioned.

"Correct." Mary-Weather murmured.

"Raise it to thirty, and then you will have our services." D said, calmly; carefully gauging the woman's response when she looked at him again, this time with wide eyes.

"Thirty million as the down-payment, and thirty when the task is accomplished?" Mary-Weather asked, shocked that he'd been so bold. D only nodded. For a moment, it looked as though the noblewoman was about to become angry; then she sighed, shook her head, and gave them a grave smile.

"You are indeed a man after my brother's own heart...Very well. I agree to your terms, Master Hunter." Mary-Weather said, as she rode over to them, and offered her hand out for a handshake when she was close enough. When D made no move to reciprocate, Dirk shook the proffered hand, instead (getting an almost murderous and decidedly jealous glare from Belladonna as he did so).

"I hope we'll be able to help you, Lady Hargreaves." Dirk said, honestly. The woman stared at him for a shocked moment, then gave him a shaky smile when the underlying meaning behind his words reached her heart.

"I hope you'll be able to save him, too. He's the only brother I've got...and the grief would probably kill me, if I had to kill him in such a way." Mary-Weather said, then added, "He's been betrayed enough, in his own cursed life."

"Then let's get moving. The longer we linger here, the farther away our quarry moves." D stated, getting nods from the rest of the group as an agreement. They had a long road ahead of them, but, Dirk hoped, that something could be done to avert the tragedy that seemed to be waiting in the wings.

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Did I surprise anyone with this chapter? I certainly hope so! As Yuko from xxxHolic had put it, 'The same faces, but different people'. I can only hope I'll be able to manage even more surprises in future chapters! Thanks for reading, minna!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	3. Chapter Two: Of Encounters

Chapter Two: Of Encounters

"When I get older losin' my hair many years from noooowww...!" Marv sang, getting a collective cringe from the group as they traveled through the countryside.

"Doesn't that sword ever shut up? He's been howling since we left that village back there!" Mary-Weather grumbled, as she put her fingers in her ears and scowled back at the sword.

"Nope. And he never will, either. Whoever'd created him had had a sick sense of humor." Dirk growled, as he removed the sword from his sheath, and promptly taped the mouth shut.

"Finally! Some peace and quiet!" Belladonna said, smirking when the sword tried to grumble something through the tape, and couldn't. Granny Viper only chuckled, and nodded in agreement.

"_Unfortunately, though, it seems to have awakened Grandfather_..." Dirk mused, as he looked to one side, and gave the ghost floating alongside them an apologetic glance. Ever since the incident within the Castle of Chaythe, the Vampire King's ghost had resided within his amulet(at the behest of Dirk's mother, Doris, of course); emerging every now and again to offer advice, when needed (or to just chat, since he seemed quite fond of his grandson...Much to D's dismay...).

"_That sword has the most atrocious voice I have ever heard! Even __banshees__ sound better!_" Dracula grumbled, as he fixed his crimson gaze onto the sword, and gave it a look that was fit to kill.

"_Well, Dad had said pretty much the same thing earlier, Grandfather_..._Only there were a few more descriptive words he'd added in for good measure, as well._" Dirk replied, as Dracula sighed and put a hand to his face in exasperation.

"_I don't even want to know where he'd learned such language_..._But I can take it that Miss Collins had taught him a lesson?_" Dracula asked, quite aware that D was giving him and Dirk an unreadable look. Dirk only snickered softly, and shook his head; remembering exactly what had ensued afterwards...and that it hadn't been a very pretty sight.

"_You don't know the half of it._" Dirk responded, getting a laugh from the Vampire King for that comment.

"_I shall have to get the full details from you later, if time permits. For now, though, it seems your attention will soon need to be undivided._" Dracula said, as he directed the younger Vampire Hunter's attention back to the land in front of them. Where there had been empty land before, it now seemed awash in malevolent power, and covered in a thick mist.

"Whoa...this place certainly feels evil! Any idea what's causing this, D?" Belladonna asked, directing her question not only at the elder Vampire Hunter, but also towards Dracula as well.

"I have my suspicions..." D murmured, as the ghostly Vampire King nodded in agreement; they could both feel the intense aura within the mists, and were a bit discomfited by it.

"But what is it? What's causing this?" Mary-Weather asked, unnerved by the Hunters' silence, and grim expressions.

"It seems we'll be dealing with Barbaroi assassins again...Not a pleasant prospect." Dirk muttered, as devilish giggling came to their ears, and a dark-haired girl appeared before them.

"Greetings, Hunters! It has been quite some time since I have met such fine-looking creatures such as yourselves! I am Mikaila, of the Barbaroi!" the girl greeted, mockingly.

"Where is the carriage of your employer?" D asked, as he rode forward, and gave the girl a stony look. 'Mikaila' only smiled secretively, and motioned towards the mists behind her with a wave of her bandaged hands.

"They are somewhere ahead of you, Master Hunter! But, be forewarned, if you set foot within these mists, you will probably never find your way out...And I would hate to see such a handsome creature end up that way." Mikaila crooned, as she floated up to D; ignoring the gagging sounds Belladonna was making in response to her sugary sweet tone of voice, but looking up and abruptly backing off when a bullet whizzed by her head.

"Back off, Bandage Girl, unless you want a hole between your eyes...Or several." Belladonna snarled; having seen and reacted to something Dirk was only just noticing. In the mists behind Mikaila, another figure stood poised; a modified crossbow notched and ready for firing aimed directly at D's chest. And yet, even though D seemed to have known that the other assassin had been there, he hadn't reacted at all; letting the assassins' confidence get them into trouble.

"Your senses are a lot sharper than I would have given you credit for, Hunters. It seems we'll have to withdraw...for now." the male voice said, then added, "Come, Mikaila. Lady Suzette is waiting for us."

"All right. But first, let me leave a little gift for our intrepid Hunters!" Mikaila said, as she motioned to something that stood hidden within the thick fog.

"Keep them busy, Arachne!" Mikaila shouted, before she bounded into the fog...something huge stepping towards the Hunters before they could follow her.

"Oh...shit..." Belladonna muttered, her eyes widening when she saw what it was they were looking at.

"_Couldn't have said it better myself._" Dracula agreed, dryly; his expression utterly deadpan.

"Mrs. Viper, Lady Hargreaves, I strongly suggest you two go a safe distance away from here. Belladonna, accompany them." D ordered, getting a salute from the female Hunter, as a response.

"Whatever you say, D. Just be careful." Belladonna said, as she ushered the other two women away from the scene.

"_This is __not__ going to be easy_..." Dirk thought, as he exchanged glances with his father, and they both leaped into action; hoping they had the strength to kill the monstrosity in front of them, before it could give chase to the other part of their group.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Dusk was quickly falling, as a carriage was driven through the wilderness. Inside of the vehicle, a young man sits beside an elaborate coffin; his gaze glassy and dull...a victim of a vampire's kiss.

"Cain, dear." a voice purred, from within the casket.

"Yes, Suzette?" the young man replied, his gaze regaining some life, when he'd heard the gentle voice.

"What time is it?" 'Suzette' in turn asked.

"Almost five-thirty P.M. Frontier Standard Time...About thirty minutes till dark." Cain said, quietly.

"Good. I can't wait to spend another evening with you. It must be lonely for you, during the day." Suzette murmured, her voice muffled by the rosewood lid that shielded her undead skin from the sun.

"It is. But it is worth the wait. I look forward to spending more time with you, as well." Cain stated, with a slight smile.

"It is just too bad we can't escape to the City of the Night. As far as I know, Meier Link had taken the last working starship...Such a pity." Suzette sighed, inwardly cursing the male vampire for having taken the last for himself and his chosen bride.

"_News is so dreadfully slow to travel, these days, as compared to the way it had been, when the Nobility had been at its' height! I hadn't even known of Castle Chaythe's fall until __after__ I had left my home and picked up Cain! Thrice damned Hunters!_" Suzette mused, sourly, as she opened the coffin's lid, sat up, and smiled at the young human noble beside her.

"_And yet, I can still make this work_..._I just have to kill the Hunters, and anyone else who could stand in my way._" Suzette thought; a wicked light entering her eyes as she ushered Cain even closer to her, and sank her fangs into his neck. This human was hers' and she was going to make sure he stayed that way!

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Dirk uttered a yelp when one of the gigantic spider's legs knocked him from his horse; gasping when the impact snapped a couple of his ribs, yet somehow managing to land on his feet, despite the dizzying pain. He looked up when a shrill scream came from the monster, and saw it when D slashed into one of its' eyes.

"_Knew I should've listened when those Spider Hunters had been in Ransylva! Could've used some of their expertise, right about now!_" Dirk thought, as he struggled to catch his breath; cursing himself for not having paid closer attention, back then.

"_You don't have time to think on that, right now, Young Dirk! Focus on the battle at hand!_" Dracula shouted, urging the quarter-vampire to move when one of the legs came dangerously close to stepping on him.

"Right..." Dirk whispered, as he spat out a mouthful of blood, and then leaped into action. With a strength that could not be attributed to any normal Hunters, both D and Dirk worked side by side to subdue and kill the beast before them.

"_He's come a long way, from the youth that had accompanied me on that Hunt, all those years ago_..." D mused, proudly. The younger Hunter had exceeded all expectations, and was quickly becoming one of the most feared Hunters' in the Frontier (not an easy feat, considering just how many Hunters there were, roaming about). With cries that would have frozen anyone with a weaker heart, the two men simultaneously struck; slashing along the spider's midsection and cutting it in half. D winced when one of the fangs struck him in the abdomen at it fell, and felt the burn of the venom enter the wound.

"_Damn!_" D inwardly cursed, even as his expression regained it's outward calm. With a thunderous crash, the spider's body hit the ground...and, not even ten minutes later, the mists dissipated as well. The carriage, and its entourage, was nowhere to be seen.

"Lost 'em." Dirk growled, then asked, "You okay, Dad?"

"I'm fine. We need to find the ladies, before any more trouble befalls us." D murmured, as he quickly bound his injured midsection in some strips of his cloak; doing his best to hide this injury from his son and the women, till he could be sure that it wasn't going to heal on its' own.

"_For once, I hope my cursed blood is stronger_..." D thought; his eyes narrowing at the idea, yet, having no other choice but to trust in that part of himself, just this once.


	4. Chapter Three: Of Uncertainties

Chapter Three: Of Uncertainties

The sound of gunfire was what had alerted them to the danger their companions were in, and urged them to put the spurs to their horses as never before.

"Give it all you have, Faust. I'm countin' on you." Dirk muttered, giving the cyborg horse beneath him as much free rein as he could.

"I still can't believe you actually name your mounts, even after all this time." D murmured, as he raced alongside his son towards their next battle. Dirk only offered a slight shrug.

"It's a habit, I guess. I picked that one up from Mother." Dirk replied, then added, after a moment or two, "In fact, she was the one who'd named Burdock, in the first place."

"I see...And it would also explain why that one had lived to see old age." D stated, drawing his sword as they neared the scene. Dirk nodded his affirmative, and mirrored his father's movements. Now they could both hear the rapid exchange between a crossbow and a pair of tri-barreled handguns, the shrieking of mutants as they were struck by the carefully-aimed bullets, the sudden silences that came between, and even Lady Hargreaves' panic-stricken voice when she cried out about the huge mass of creatures that were charging at them.

"'Donna! We're here!" Dirk shouted, as he and D charged into the fracas; their swords leaving swaths of death behind and around them.

"'Bout time! Where the hell've you two been?.! It shouldn't have been that hard to kill a spider!" Belladonna snapped, irritably, as she paused to reload her guns, and glare at the two male Hunters balefully. D's expression deadpanned.

"You obviously weren't the one to fight that thing, Miss Collins." D muttered, moodily; his voice almost lost in the midst of the battle.

"_And, as I recall, Miss Collins, you were only too eager to take this route. You have no one to blame but yourself._" Dracula added, in his usual dry tone.

"Shut up!" Belladonna growled; bristling when she realized that D and the ghost of his father did have a point.

"Save the chatter for later! There's more coming!" Granny Viper said, as she watched the deluge advance towards them at a frightening pace.

"Then let's see if we can't cut 'em down to size." Dirk said, with daring in his voice, as he pulled one of his daggers out of its sheath on his belt, and proceeded to attack one group of mutants.

"Please, be careful! That man with the crossbow is still here, somewhere!" Mary-Weather added, worriedly.

"Don't worry, Lady Hargreaves. You hired the best in the business, remember? We'll take care of this problem, no sweat!" Belladonna stated, confidently, as she aimed flawlessly and with deadly accuracy into the roiling mass of creatures; the powerful guns sending bullets through more than one or two of them at a time.

"_These three Hunters are simply incredible! Is it really true that they are only part vampire? If so, then why are they hunting their own kind?_" the man with the crossbow wondered, before shouting over his shoulder at someone in the treeline, "Call them back! We still need them to escort Lady Suzette's carriage!" Within moments, the monsters had retreated from the field, leaving the five to catch their breaths and regroup.

"Consider this a warning, Dunpeals! Do not pursue our Lady any longer, or you will pay the heavier price!" Mikaila's voice shouted, before it faded into nothing.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Mary-Weather sighed, as she watched the Hunters set up camp nearby. The decision had been made, shortly after the Barbarois' retreat, that they would stop just long enough to get some rest and treat the few injuries that had been suffered. She flinched when she saw the ugly bruise that spread itself across Dirk's ribs; sympathizing with him when Belladonna touched the center of it, and received a hiss of pain for a response.

"You sure had a death wish today, didn't you?" Belladonna asked, as she expertly felt for the broken ribs she now knew were there. Dirk's expression deadpanned.

"It's not like I look for trouble, 'Donna...At least...not like I used to..." Dirk mumbled; growling softly when she maneuvered one rib back into position.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We know better...Right D?" Belladonna said, as she turned and gave the unofficial leader of their trio a smirk and an arched eyebrow.

"If you say so." D muttered, with a noncommital shrug; inwardly smirking when his son gave him a look of chagrin.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Dirk asked, from between gritted teeth, as Belladonna wrapped his chest in some bandages, then helped him recline on the rocks behind him.

"_Do you __really__ want him to answer that question?_" Dracula questioned; disguising a chuckle as a cough when D's expression deadpanned.

"So, what's the plan now? You can't very well let him continue in this hunt, with his injuries." Granny Viper stated, as she nodded to Dirk and gave D an appraising glance.

"Don't worry too much about me; my ribs'll heal in no time." Dirk reassured, as he reclined against the trunk of a tree.

"Are you sure? You'll still get a share of the bounty, even if you choose to remain behind and recover." Mary-Weather said, seeming to be honestly concerned about him. Dirk only gave her a calm smile, and a very slight salute.

"As tempting as you make it sound, there's no backing out now. 'Sides, I've had worse scrapes than this on previous hunts. Right Dad?" Dirk asked, as he looked up at the dunpeal for confirmation.

"What he says is true, Lady Hargreaves. If I had been completely human, I would have gone grey a long time ago...and possibly would have died of a heart attack, as well." D muttered, in agreement. This got some soft laughter from the rest of the group for his comment.

"_He takes after you, in that respect._" Dracula murmured, so only D could 'hear'.

"_True enough. Now I can truly understand why you always got so upset with me for being reckless._" D replied, with a hint of regret in his mental tone. Dracula allowed himself a slight sigh, and placed an insubstantial hand on his son's shoulder.

"_You did what you had to, all those years ago. I was insane_..._mad with grief over the death of your mother. And because of that, I made you suffer unnecessarily._" Dracula said, then sadly added, "_Yet it doesn't justify the atrocities I had committed. I can only hope that someday, you can forgive me._"

"_In some ways, I may have already done so. Even if it is only in spirit, you do what you can to protect Dirk_..._in the times when I cannot._" D replied, quietly, as he watched Belladonna playfully tease Dirk, and the subsequent blush that crossed his face, when the Huntress managed to embarrass him.

"_What can I say? The boy __is__ my grandson, after all_..._I would be remiss to do any less._" Dracula stated, matter-of-factly. D inwardly sighed; secretly grateful to have heard those words. For years unnumbered, he'd held the nagging doubt that his father had indeed been insane when the slaughter had occurred...and now he knew that it had been the case.

"Hey, D! Where do you think our quarry is heading, anyway? There aren't any more workable starships, are there?" Belladonna asked, breaking through his thoughts, and bringing his attention back to the present.

"Not that I am aware of. They could try to head towards the last vampire kingdom, the one that borders the Capital...but it's highly unlikely." D responded.

"Guess we should be ready for any eventuality, then. It would be foolish to assume anything." Granny Viper murmured, from beside the freshly dug fire-pit.

"True enough. We leave at first light, tomorrow morning." D said, as the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

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Night had long since fallen, when D finally took the time to tend to his own injury.

"Well, at least it's good to know that you're not going to be stupid about this." Left grumbled, then added, "You're still bleeding. Not a good sign."

"I know. But that isn't what I'm concerned about." D replied, suppressing a hiss when he swiped a soaked rag across the gash; doubling over slightly when the disinfectant entered it.

"That concerned about this bounty, eh?" Left asked, as D carefully wrapped fresh bandages around his mid-section, then hid them behind his newly repaired armor.

"There's something odd about all this...But I can't figure out what. I have the distinct impression that something had been withheld from us at the outset..." D said, as the unease he'd felt before returned with a vengeance.

"Yeah...Things aren't as cut and dried as your new employer would like for you to believe." Left agreed, darkly; sensing when D's concern shifted from the missing information, to what the lack of it could do to the outcome of the hunt.

"_Yet, we can only wonder what that girl is hiding from us_..." Left mused, as his host gazed at the seeming tranquility of the camp; knowing full well that chaos would probably come in the morning.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Man, this chapter didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped! Sorry if I disappointed somebody out there! Once again, writer's block is beginning to get its' claws into this story. Does anybody have some ideas? I could really use some suggestions, at this point! Thanks for reading!**_

_**Gemini14 **_


	5. Chapter Four: Of Truths

Chapter Four: Of Truths

Morning had dawned clear and cool above the camp, when Dirk had roused from slumber. Silently, he glanced at his companions; all of whom, with the exception of his father, were still asleep.

"_But why am I awake, then? What is this doubt and dread I feel, all of a sudden?_" Dirk wondered, as he slowly got to his feet, and made his way to his father's side. D didn't even turn to look, when Dirk joined him on top of a small incline.

"Are you sure you should be moving around?" D asked, in his usual quiet tone.

"I'm a little stiff and sore, but otherwise the broken ribs have healed." Dirk replied; noticing the unusual tension in his sire's tone, and deciding to address it.

"Is there something bothering you?" Dirk in turn asked.

"There is, but I don't have enough proof to verify it, as of yet." D murmured, finally turning his gaze to his concerned son, and then to the spots where Mary-Weather and Granny Viper were sleeping.

"Something is suspicious about those two, isn't there?" Dirk said, getting an idea as to why his father looked a little unsettled.

"Yes. I get the feeling that they had deliberately left something out, when they hired us for this job...But I can't figure out what. I'm sure you noticed how they had tried to convince you to drop out?" D asked.

"Yeah. 'Donna had said basically the same thing to me last night...Just what are they trying to do? Split us up? But why would they do that? How would it profit them?" Dirk murmured, confusedly. D shrugged.

"I have no idea...All we can do is keep our guard up. It wouldn't do to be caught unawares." D stated, glancing back at the campsite again when he heard some movement.

"Got that right. I, for one, would rather not have to dig silver bullets or stakes out of myself after all this is over." Dirk grumbled, as he remembered a few previous hunts that had ended rather badly.

"_And on that note, you get a unanimous agreement._" Dracula's 'voice' agreed, dryly; as his spectral form appeared beside them as well.

"Any idea how far ahead the carriage is?" D asked; keeping his voice low enough so only Dirk could understand him, and the women wouldn't overhear.

"_Unbelievably enough, they are just a few miles ahead. The bridge must be out, thus they have been forced to take a detour._" Dracula replied; smirking slightly when D's eyebrows rose. It was the only sign of surprise the dunpeal allowed himself to show.

"So we haven't lost as much ground as we'd thought. Talk about luck!" Dirk muttered, as he shook his head in amazement.

"_Luck may not have much to do with this_..._As it is, we are now dangerously close to entering Roman territory_..._Land that is still under the jurisdiction of the Vatican_..._It could well be that those guarding these lands had cut the bridge to prevent this vampire from getting to the last Vampire Kingdom_..._I_ _would rather __not__ cross blades with __them_..." D mused, sanguinely, as he watched Belladonna rouse up, find Dirk not where he was supposed to be, and glare rather caustically in their direction.

"_True enough. But our paths are going to cross with theirs' sooner or later._" Dracula murmured, with concern in his voice not only for D, but also for Belladonna and Dirk as well.

"_I know_..._and I can only hope that a repeat of history isn't what's in store for us_..." D thought, uneasily, as he stiffly got to his feet, and started to prepare to get back on the road.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"What do you mean the bridge has been cut?.!" an enraged female voice screeched, as the woman in question raged in front of the two Barbaroi assassins.

"It's just as we'd said, Lady Suzette. The bridge has been cut, as well as communication with the Empire." the man with the crossbow stated, as he wisely averted his eyes from the furious vampire.

"Damn them all to hell!" she howled, furiously. Cain, in the meantime, sat where he'd been when she'd called out to him the previous afternoon; his eyes even glassier than they had been before.

"Well? What now, Jizabel? Where else can they go, aside from the Empire or the stars?" Mikaila questioned, as she turned her eerie blue gaze to the crossbowman. She was startled when his eyes suddenly lit up in realization, and he looked up at Suzette again.

"There is but one more route to the Empire that I know of, Milady...but it will be risky." Jizabel said, cautiously. Suzette's raging calmed at this, and she gave him an intrigued look.

"Really? Where is this route? How can we get to it?" Suzette asked; her suddenly calm voice sending chills down Mikaila's spine.

"Venice." Jizabel replied, simply. For the first time since the journey had begun, all color fled from Suzette's already pale features, and Mikaila's face went almost paraffin white. They both knew just how dangerous stepping into that territory could be, since it was on the borders between the Empire and Rome...especially for vampires attempting what Suzette was doing.

"_We're goin' out of the fryin' pan and into the fire_..." Mikaila sourly mused, as Suzette gave the order to the Barbaroi on top of the carriage to move on.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"Shit. You'd said that they hadn't gone that far, D...So where the hell are they now?" Belladonna asked, peevishly, when they'd arrived at the side of the bridge where the carriage had been just a short while before. Silence was her only answer, and even Dirk held his tongue.

"Is something bothering you, Hunters?" Mary-Weather asked, when she'd noticed the tense and wary expressions on the men's faces.

"Lady Hargreaves, the only thing I am apprehensive about, aside from being dangerously close to the Capital's border, is what you haven't told us. Right from the outset, there has been someone following us...Your ready agreement to stop last night confirming that much." D murmured; turning to look at the woman behind him, and seeing that his comment had gotten a reaction. Her face paled, and she gave him a look tinged in some nervousness.

"Master Hunter...I don't know what to say except how sorry I am...for not trusting you implicitly. I can now see that there was no need to worry about where your alliance lay..." Mary-Weather replied, apologetically, and a bit ashamedly, as she looked back over her shoulder and nodded. Within moments, a tall, black-clothed rider rode into their midst. In his arms was cradled what appeared to be a long-range rifle, and strapped to his back was a sword.

"You aren't a Vampire Hunter like us, are ya?" Belladonna asked, shaking off her stunned silence with that comment. The rider shook his head.

"No. I am Lord Hargreaves' manservant. I have been following at a distance since Miss Mary-Weather hired you three." the rider murmured, quietly.

"I take it you are very trusted by Lady Hargreaves' brother?" D questioned, earning himself a surprised look from the three women and his son for that remark.

"Yes..." the rider replied, hesitantly.

"Then you could well be the one we need to get your master out of the vampire's clutches." D stated, then gave him a stern look and asked, "Your name?"

"Riffael Raffit, sir. I have been Lord Cain's manservant since he was twelve." the rider said, calmly, yet with some hope beginning to emerge in his quiet voice.

"Then I suggest you prepare yourself, Riffael. From here on out, it will be just us four." D murmured, decisively. This got widened eyes from both Mary-Weather and Granny Viper.

"What about us? Shouldn't we stay with you? Wouldn't that be safer?" Mary-Weather asked, stunned by this development.

"I think Dad just wants to make sure that you two aren't involved in any more danger, milady. It'll be safer if you go to a village and wait for us...At least, that way, the vampire can't kidnap either of you and hold you for ransom." Dirk said; finally breaking his unusual silence. For a few, strained moments, it seemed as though the young noblewoman wanted to stubbornly argue against the logic behind the Hunters' words; then the rider spoke up, once again.

"Milady, we'll bring Lord Cain back with us, have no fear. We must trust these Hunters you had hired, and have faith in their judgement." the rider stated, as he tried to appeal to the stubborn young woman for some form of an agreement.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Belladonna muttered, approvingly.

"Fine then. Just please...come back safely, Riff. Okay?" Mary-Weather begged. This got a nod from the pale-haired manservant for an answer.

"Don't worry about a thing, Lady Hargreaves! We'll be back before you know it! In fact, you'll probably hear us coming, thanks to Dirk's sword." Belladonna jokingly said, in an effort to reassure the younger woman. She was rewarded with a slight smile from Mary-Weather for that comment.

"That's if I take the tape off of his mouth..." Dirk mumbled, as he turned his mount in the direction the tracks led, and rode swiftly after his father. Belladonna and Riff were not long in following.

"Godspeed to you...Please bring Cain back unharmed..." Mary-Weather softly said, as she watched them go; knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that a dangerous path lay ahead of them.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

It was around midday, when they found the trail again. Even though one mystery had been solved, Dirk couldn't help but feel that something else still had yet to be found out.

"So, Riff, is there anything else about your master that we should know about? Something we might be better off knowing?" Belladonna questioned; picking up on Dirk's train of thought almost effortlessly. Not surprisingly, the manservant twitched, clear proof that there was indeed another angle to this problem that they had not been told of, yet.

"Seventeen years ago...Lord Cain's mother was raped by a high-ranking vampire. The vampire in question had come from Byzantium...the Empire...in search of something. Her husband, milord's stepfather, could never find out what it was the vampires were after...and, to this day, they still appear in the lands surrounding the Hargreaves' estate...That is where the vampire, Suzette, comes in." Riff replied, quietly, as a stunned hush fell over the trio of Hunters.

"So your lord is a dunpeal as well? Why wasn't this said at the outset?" D asked, with just the barest hint of frustration in his voice and eyes, as he turned to look at the pale-haired manservant.

"I can only guess that Lady Mary-Weather was worried that you would kill Lord Cain, also, if you knew." Riff murmured, as Belladonna uttered a very unladylike snort of disgust at this.

"So much for trust...Feh." Belladonna grumbled, then added, "She hired us to kill the freaking VAMPIRE for crying out loud! She didn't say a single word about us killing her brother while we were at it! Sheesh!"

"_Some people are just predisposed to schizophrenia when it comes down to it, Miss Collins._" Dracula dryly muttered; earning himself a snicker from both Belladonna and Dirk and an arched eyebrow from D for that.

"_No comment._" D silently stated, as Dracula, Dirk, and Belladonna shared some quiet laughter at their employer's expense (all the while with Riff giving them his version of a bewildered look, since he couldn't see the ghostly Count ). And yet, the light moment wasn't destined to last...for, the very second they reached the beginnings of a rough-hewn road, all hell broke loose. With screams and cries that would have frozen the blood of any normal man, mutants of almost every shape and size swiftly attacked. Acting on instinct, D and Dirk unsheathed their swords with lightning quickness; blades flashing like quicksilver as they swept them through their attackers. Belladonna uttered a bone-chilling battle cry, as she fired both guns into the horde, the powerful handguns blowing several mutants to pieces when they got too close. She and Dirk almost jumped when they heard the sound of a rifle go off near them; having forgotten that quickly about the weapon Riff had on hand.

"Great shot, Riff!" Belladonna shouted, in approval, when she saw what his gun had done to several of the mutants. In a neat line, about four or five mutants had fallen...taken down by a single bullet.

"_Damn! Glad __I__ wasn't on the receiving end of __that__! There's more to that so-called manservant than first meets the eye!_" Left's voice muttered, in the back of D's mind.

"_I wouldn't doubt it._" D distractedly agreed; hissing softly when the sore muscles in his side burned slightly in retaliation to the sudden strenuous activity. But, from what he could tell, at least he wasn't bleeding.

"_One less thing to worry about, at any rate._" D mused, then focused on the fight at hand. Even though the mutants in question weren't extremely strong, the sheer number of them was enough to slow them down.

"Dirk! Miss Collins! We're going to have to plow through them! Be ready to follow me!" D shouted, as the two younger Hunters and the manservant nodded.

"Lead the way! We'll be right behind you!" Dirk replied, after he'd cut another mutant down, and fended off another's swipe at his head. With no more words said between them, D gave his mount a firm kick, and charged off; scattering the mutants in his wake. Dirk, Belladonna, and Riff were not too long in following.


End file.
